Questions Of Identity
by Tirol78
Summary: Jack's clone, now 20, is off to the Air Force Academy to stave off boredom. He makes a friend there, one he never could have expected. Some Jack & Sam, Daniel & Janet fluff later. R&R. Ch. 10 up. Update coming soon.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Questions of Identity **

**Category: Romance, Drama, Angst**

**Setting: About five years after "Fragile Balance"**

**Summary:Jack O'Neill's bored clone, Isaac O'Neill,decides to broaden his skills by going back to the Air Force Academy. He makes a new unexpectedfriend there. The real Jack plus Sam, Teal'c, Daniel, and Janet will make appearances later. There will be some Jack and Sam and Daniel and Janet fluffy shippiness later.**

**Note: This is an AU. Earth is still at war with the Goa'Uld, no Ori here. Also, Janet was not killed off, she's alive and well!**

**This is just my second fanfic. My first, "The New Ones", is still a work in progress. So, please read and review and let me know what you think.**

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**Questions of Identity**

**Chapter 1**

Isaac O'Neill pulled off his helmet with one hand as he removed the keys from his bike with the other. He grabbed his backpack and glanced at his watch as he ran from the parking lot towards class. It was a hot August afternoon, and now he was going to be late to the first session of his class "Advanced Battlefield Medicine," and he would be hot and smelling of sweat. Being late was one habit the Air Force Academy did not look happily upon. It didn't matter that he was a colonel and had made the choice to be here, that wasn't an excuse for being late, especially since only a handful of people in the military knew he was a colonel. No one would've guessed that the tall and handsome twenty-year old did in fact have the memories of a man more than twice his age.

Being the clone of the legendary Jack O'Neill certainly had its benefits and drawbacks. The drawbacks were one reason he'd given in to the Air Force's pressure to change his name. Some things had to change, and he had to accept that he couldn't go on being Jack O'Neill, that spot was taken. However, he'd basically told them to go to hell when they suggested he change his last name as well. He'd been Isaac O'Neill for over five years now. Jack's mother had told him once she'd wanted to name him Isaac after his great-grandfather, but his father had won out with Jonathan. So, Isaac thought the name was appropriate, and he kind've liked it.

Not even all the memories of Jack O'Neill's special forces training could keep Isaac from falling under the watchful gaze of the instructor as he slid into the classroom. He had hoped he could sneak in while the teacher's back was turned, and with any luck he wouldn't have called roll yet, but Isaac quickly discovered that the notion of luck had no place in Dr. Bower's class.

"Cadet, you're five minutes late," Dr. Bower, a fat, old, balding man with thick glasses said flatly as he glanced at his watch. "Name."

All the students turned to gain a look at the offender. Isaac gave them a quick glance. Most of them were smiling, but a few seemed sympathetic to his bad timing. He did take particular note of an adorable redhead a few rows up, regarding him with a curious smile.

"Isaac O'Neill, Sir," he replied with a crisp salute, his motorcycle helmet dangling from his other hand. The redhead, who had been watching him, perked up and started staring at him more intently, chewing her bottom lip. He forced his eyes off her reluctantly. Come on Isaac, she's a cadet, and you're an officer. Still, there was something about her.

Bower checked his roll sheet then looked back at Isaac, glaring over the top of his glasses with his dull eyes. "Are you interested in "Advanced Battlefield Medicine," Cadet O'Neill?" Bower asked, taking a seat on the edge of his desk and crossing his arms.

Isaac visibly flinched at being called a cadet, even though he knew he should be thankful the Air Force had allowed him to retain his rank. He believed Jack probably had a hand in that. Still, it was a bargain for them. They gained another highly trained and experienced officer without the cost of training. "Yes, Sir," Isaac replied, holding his salute.

"Very well, Cadet, you may stand at ease," Bower said.

Isaac let out a sigh of relief and dropped his salute as he glanced around, looking for an empty chair. He glanced at the redhead, but unfortunately she was hemmed in by cadets all around her. He spotted a seat near the back and headed that way.

"Cadet!" Bower said, drawing Isaac's attention.

"Now what?" he muttered under his breath. "Yes, Sir?" He said a little too firmly, glancing at Bower.

Bower gave Isaac an arrogant smile. Isaac knew he was enjoying torturing him.

"Perhaps, you could come to the front of the class and explain to us why you're so interested in this course that you had to take an extra five minutes preparing for it," Bower said, without the slightest hint of humor on his face.

Isaac rubbed his jaw and gave a tense nod. Maybe this whole class thing was a bad idea, but it was a chance to gain more skills, make himself more useful. He was just waiting on his new assignment, still about six months away. The assignment would allow him to get back to his true skill of saving the world, even if it was full of jerks like Bower. He walked to the front of the class and Bower moved aside and took a seat with the students, leaving the floor open to him.

Isaac laid his brown leather backpack and helmet on the desk and took a seat on the edge of it. A quick glare from Bower brought Isaac back up to his feet. He saw the redhead trying to stifle a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand and shaking her head in amusement. He couldn't help but think she was cute while feeling a little guilty for the thought at the same time. He locked eyes with her for just a moment and tried to keep his lips from forming into one of his charming roguish grins as she blushed slightly and quickly looked down at her notebook. She glanced back up at him shyly and grinned. Snap out of it, everyone's waiting on you.

"Well, why I'm so fascinated with 'Advanced Battlefield Medicine," he said thoughtfully, clasping his hands behind his back and looking around the room, seeing the other cadets revel in his torture, and counting their blessings that they'd shown up on time. He wanted to tell them the truth. He'd, or rather Jack had seen too many good people die on and off-world and maybe if he'd known just a little bit more he could've made a difference. Maybe he could've saved just one. That wouldn't work though. Those memories were Jack's and not his to tell, regardless of the fact that most of them were classified. So, he would have to make something up.

"The majority of us are in this class because we want to be medics," he began, glancing around the room for nods or signs of agreement. He received none but continued in any case. "More specifically we want to be that rarer breed of medic which serves on or near the frontline in areas of conflict." He began pacing the front of the room now, pointing at students at random to emphasize his points to them. "Some of us even want to be those insane medics who go beyond the frontline, deep into hostile territory. We're in this class because we know there will always be a need for people willing to put their lives on the line in the worst situations to help other people."

He took a seat on the edge of the desk and ignored Bower's glare but didn't miss the redhead resting her chin on her hand and seeming to hang on his every word. "Battlefield medics are a unique minority. First you have a person who takes job, knowing full well, that its primary function is one which may throw them headlong into a theater of war. Secondly, you're quite alone in your purpose. You're surrounded on the battlefield by thousands of soldiers whose job it is to kill. Your job is to save lives, even those of the enemy. You're there to ease your commanding officer's mind at the expense of your own. The death of anyone under his or her command will be remembered. You put yourself in danger so that fewer die. These soldiers are dying because they trusted someone enough to follow their orders." He slammed his fist on the desk, causing several students to jump in their seats. "We cannot let that trust be belittled by letting them die without a fight." He recalled how many times – countless - Jack had faced almost certain death only to be saved by those who wouldn't give up. "Those men expect you to be there. If it's not you then it's the chaplain. The chaplain is our competition on the battlefield. They offer the dying men their brand of spiritual healing and, they hope, a more peaceful transition into whatever afterlife they choose to believe in."

He stood up and his face grew somber as he scanned the room. The memories of so many dead friends were one part of Jack he could not so easily push aside. "Forget that damn nonsense. You're not there to comfort them. You're there to save their lives. It's our duty and privilege to deprive chaplains of their function. We don't give a damn about peaceful transition. We want to keep our men alive, in this world." He gestured fiercely towards the ground, emphasizing 'this world.'

Bower stood up and approached Isaac. "What lovely rhetoric, Cadet," Bower said smugly and the smiled, "from one who has never seen combat."

Isaac fought the urge knock him out cold. "Have you seen combat, Sir? You are teaching battlefield medicine after all. I'm not sure how anyone could teach someone to operate effectively on the battlefield when they've never seen one themselves."

Bower narrowed his eyes at Isaac. "That's none of your concern, Cadet. Take a seat, please," Bower said smartly and pointed brusquely to a seat on the front row. "On the front row of course."

Isaac grabbed his backpack and helmet and walked over to the seat. The redhead smiled at him reassuringly and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and shook his head, taking his seat as Bower launched into a lecture.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Isaac was last out of the door after class. After his speech, which he had to admit he thought he'd done a damn good job at, Dr. Bower had assigned him a seat on the very front row. It made him wonder if all doctors were power mongers. With Frasier it had always been sit, eyes open, mouth open, and usually followed by a shot. God, he missed her. He'd definitely take her over Bower. He shook his head to clear his thoughts of his old friends, of Jack's friends, and headed down the hall. That was the only class he was taking. His frequent trips to Area-51 didn't leave any time for more classes. Now he was off to the gym. He heard the click clack of shoes on tile coming up rapidly behind him.

"Isaac O'Neill?" Questioned the sweet voice from behind him.

He stopped and frowned. Please, don't be the redhead. He had gone through high school, going on dates only a few times. It always felt really weird being attracted to anyone so much younger than him, even if it was only in spirit. So he hadn't pursued dating much, but he couldn't deny it was at times a boring, lonely life. He'd been forced to leave everyone close to him behind in Cheyenne Mountain, and the void had not been filled. Still, dating a woman in her 20's surely couldn't be as weird as dating a high school girl. Slow down, you don't even know who's talking to you, and she's just asking your name.

"Yeah, that's me," he said, turning around. He gave her a smile. Of course, it was her, and he found himself grateful.

She returned his smile and reached up to tuck a straying red curl behind her ear. "Hi, sorry. I was in the "Advanced Battlefield Medicine" class. That was a good speech. Sorry that you had to go through that."

"Yeah, well I've got some experience having to make stuff up off the top of my head." He gave a roguish grin. "I've had worse." Quick flashes of Sokar's hell and Ba'al's torture chamber flashed through his mind. Maybe those things hadn't really happened to him, but his memories of them couldn't be any more real.

She nodded. "Yeah, I bet. You must be first or second class? Which I must admit is odd, since I've never seen you here before."

Isaac glanced at her uneasily. Did she know something? "What makes you say that?"

She tapped her nails on the black helmet tucked under his arm. "Third and fourth class cadets aren't allowed vehicles. So, that means you're either first or second class, or," she arched an eyebrow and gave a slight smile, "you're breaking the rules."

He chuckled. He liked her. "Perceptive."

She blushed. "So which is it?"

"It's classified," he replied nonchalantly, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

"Ah," she replied with a mischievous smile, "looks like we have something in common then. Listen I want to talk to you, but I've got class now. Some of us are going to Arnold Hall tonight for movies. You want to come by for a few minutes?"

Watching a movie with junior cadets, he had to admit it didn't sound that appealing. He realized his hesitancy was obviously apparent on his face when she looked away nervously. He felt a little ashamed. "Maybe I could come by. For a few minutes anyway."

She glanced at him. "You're related to Jack O'Neill aren't you?" She asked uncertainly, studying his face curiously. "That's all I wanted, really. Listen, I've got to go. Come by if you want. I'd like it if you did." She gave a curt wave and turned her back to head down the hall.

He let out a heavy sigh as he watched her walk away. " Seven o'clock?" He called after her.

She stopped, turned, and smiled. She gave him a small nod and vanished around the corner.

He stood there for a few moments considering her offer. He had to go and find out what she knew about him, if anything. Maybe a movie would be relaxing, in the company of an attractive woman no less. All he did was study up on classified material the Air Force sent him to prepare for his upcoming assignment. That's why he'd taken this class, to do something useful with all his free time. He could use a relaxing break, especially since he still couldn't buy beer for another three months.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It had only cooled off a little as the sun began to go down, but it felt pretty good going down the road on his bike, ignoring the speed limit signs. It didn't hurt that he'd traded in that uncomfortable, bland cadet uniform for a black t-shirt and jeans. His helmet was strapped to the back, and the wind felt cool on his face as he drove back towards the academy. Too many things were on his mind as he drove to allow him to completely enjoy the trip. He mulled over whether he would keep taking the class. Bower had certainly tried to make him look like an idiot, probably because he was mostly in the dark. Bower had been informed that Isaac was taking the class under special circumstances, but that was the extent of his knowledge, and it probably bothered him to have a mystery sitting in his classroom. Isaac couldn't exactly hold that against him. Still, Isaac O'Neill, even if he did try to differentiate his new life from Jack's, had quite a bit in common with the old General. He wasn't going to be bullied, nor would he give up easily.

The primary question was should he even be going to see this girl. Regardless of any attraction, he knew he had to find out if she knew anything. If by some chance someone had leaked information out about who he was, it could cause serious problems for him and for Jack. He could deal with his own problems, but he couldn't let anything happen to Jack because of him. It was Jack who'd asked Thor to save his life. He decided it was more likely that she, an eager cadet, had met General O'Neill at some speech or lecture they'd suckered him into giving at the academy, and she had merely noticed a likeness between them. Still, there was something nagging him about her. He had the vague feeling in the back of his mind that he should know her.

When he parked his bike it was about five minutes till seven, and he hoped he could remember where Arnold Hall was. It had been a while since he'd spent much time at the Academy, or since Jack had rather. He often reminded himself, whenever reminiscing about anything, that the memories weren't his. It was his mantra as he attempted to reinvent, or even just invent, himself, another reason for taking the class. After walking around for several minutes he was finally forced to ask a passing cadet for directions. At five minutes after seven he approached the front entrance to Arnold Hall. He walked inside to the noise of cadets playing games, eating, watching movies, and just sitting around talking. It was definitely busy, and he noticed that he stuck out as he appeared to be one of the few in civilian clothes. He looked around, searching the area. This place had changed a lot since last time he'd been here. The noise quickly got on his nerves. He was used to quiet nights at home pouring over mission plans, ship specs, and personnel files. In the madness of all these cadets he began to wonder how he'd find her, especially since he didn't even know her name.

He saw her then, emerging from a crowd of people spread across chairs and sofas, watching a movie. She gave him a broad smile with her red lips and waved. He gave her a grin and slid his hands into his pockets as he walked over to her. She was also in civilian clothes now and that meant she was in one of the higher classes. Her dark red hair, previously pinned up beneath the blue air force hat, now fell halfway down her back, and a few wayward strands fell across her lightly freckled face. A dark green, short-sleeve blouse, and blue jeans were even more flattering in accentuating her soft curves than her cadet's uniform. Calm down there, Isaac. That's all Jack needs is to hear you've gone and developed a weakness for redheads. He smiled to himself. Jack doesn't care for much for redheads, and Isaac realized he was just the opposite. That was encouraging.

He watched her walking towards him, trying to force his mind to convince his body that she wasn't as attractive as she was. It didn't really work. Damn it, he should know her. Damn, he did know her. His stomach fell, and his heart beat hard and fast in his chest. "Oh, my God," he said under his breath, and shook his head with a quiet, empty laugh. How blind could he be?

She was standing in front of him now and offered her hand. "I'm glad you came, Isaac."

He wiped his now sweaty palm on his jeans and shook her hand tentatively. He forced himself to look into her eyes. "Cassandra?"

Her grin grew bigger, and she blushed. "So, he did tell you about me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Isaac stood there staring into her eyes, unable to look away. Here was someone. He certainly couldn't hold any illusions of romance at the moment, rather feeling the need to kick his own ass, but here was someone he could trust. In Cassandra he could have a friend from whom he wouldn't have to keep secrets.

She touched his bare forearm, and he drew back from the gentle concern he felt in her fingertips. "Isaac? Are you ok?"

He shook his head and gave a weak smile. No, he just needed to leave. She would just become another reminder of a life belonging to someone else. They didn't belong in each other's lives even as friends. "Do you know who I am?"

She gave him a curious look. "Isaac O'Neill. That's about it. That's why I asked you here." She smiled. "I want to find out more, Isaac."

"I've got to go," he said, turning his back on her and heading for the door, leaving a confused Cassandra staring after him.

"You came all the way back out here to tell me you had to leave?" She asked, chasing after him. "You said you'd come so we could talk."

"Things change," he said and went outside. He shook his head when he heard her come through the door behind him.

"Isaac!" She shouted and grabbed his arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Forget you saw me, Cassandra."

"Oh, yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do," she replied. She crossed her arms and stared at him, her face confident. "If you don't tell me what's wrong then I'll just call Jack and ask him."

Isaac grimaced and muttered under his breath. That's all he needed was Jack and everyone else dragged back into his life, just when he was making progress. "Don't call Jack."

She moved closer to him. "I will."

He sighed. Well, she certainly hadn't changed. "Wanna go for a ride?"

She tilted her head slightly to the side and chewed her lower lip as she studied his face. "Where'd you have in mind?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"We need someplace private," he replied, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully, and then glanced at her uneasily, realizing that had not sounded good.

"Oh? Is that so?" She asked with a smirk. "Getting a little ahead of yourself."

Isaac grimaced. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Just a place where we can talk."

"Ok, my place or yours?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced at the ground then back at her. "How is Hanka this time of year?"

She pursed her lips and sadness filled her eyes.

His face grew solemn and he cleared his throat nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. You'll have to forgive me. I've got some remnants of insensitive idiocy floating through my mind. I just wanted you to know…"

"That you know far more about me than I do about you. Don't worry, we'll soon fix that," she said with a perceptive grin. "How about your place?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Cassandra walked around Isaac's bike, running her fingertips along the sleek red aluminum frame. Isaac grimaced. He'd have to make sure to get those fingerprints off when he got home. She came back over to stand by Isaac and knelt down to inspect the engine.

Cassandra gave a low whistle and glanced up at Isaac with a smile. "Very very nice. Yamaha?"

Isaac couldn't help but beam. He loved his bike. Jack didn't know what he was missing, cooped up in that big truck of his. "Yeah, FZ1. I just bought it a couple of weeks ago. You know something about bikes?"

She shook her head and stood back up. "Just a little. Sam, much to my mom's disapproval I might add, let's me help her out with hers sometimes. It gives us something to do together."

Isaac crossed his arms and glanced away uneasily, focusing on a large hawk wheeling around overhead. It wasn't that he still had any issues with Sam, but she was just a subject he'd prefer not hearing much about. "What makes you think I know Sam?" He asked finally, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Please, if you know Jack then you know Sam. Why weren't you at the wedding? You are related to Jack right?"

Isaac nodded and chuckled. Way to go Jack. Jack and Sam, that actually made him feel better. He was glad they'd finally overcome their stubbornness. He alone knew how much Sam really meant to Jack. It was reassuring that Jack was living his life well, a life that Isaac had considered his before he had known the truth about himself. He wondered what the wedding had been like and then quickly banished those thoughts. That was not a road he belonged on. Be happy for them and move on. He looked at Cassandra and found himself imagining, what had _she_ looked like at the wedding in a lovely satin gown, all made up. No, that was almost as bad.

He walked over and unhooked the helmet from the back of the bike and tossed it to Cassandra, trying not to look at her. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain this, or why he was going to. She caught the helmet and looked at him, trying to catch his attention. Seeing that he wasn't going to look at her, she grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look.

"You sure you're ok to drive? You don't look so good, Isaac," she said softly. She gave his arm what she meant to be a compassionate squeeze but was merely awkward for him.

"Maybe you should just go back," he replied.

Her face fell, and she withdrew her hand from his arm. "Maybe you should make up your mind. Did you want to talk or not?"

He slid onto the bike and stuck the keys in. He looked at her and motioned for her to get on behind him.

"Where's yours?" She asked, glancing curiously at the bike for another helmet.

"Don't really like 'em that much," he replied with a shrug.

"Ah," she said with a smirk. "You one of those guys who's too tough for helmets?"

Isaac tried to suppress a chuckle, this was still too weird. "Something like that."

Cassandra slid the helmet on and climbed on behind him. Her body spooned smoothly up against his, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his stomach.

Isaac's face went pale when he felts her body pressed against him and her arms around him. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Damn it, since when are you this indecisive.

"You know, Sam's a hell of a lot tougher than you, and she wears a helmet," she said matter-of-factly.

Isaac just shook his head and kicked the bike into gear, speeding out of the parking lot. He quickly came to the exit where he was stopped at the checkpoint.

"What's the problem?" Isaac asked as a soldier approached him.

"You're both supposed to wearing helmets," he replied, gesturing to Isaac.

"Well, I've only got one, and I don't share well," Isaac replied. "Not really a people person like that."

The soldier shook his head and groaned. "Are you both cadets? I'm going to have to report you both."

Isaac frowned. "I'm not a cadet, and she didn't do anything."

"If she's a cadet she knows the rules and shouldn't have accepted a ride," the soldier replied.

"For God's sake," Isaac snapped.

The soldier eyed him curiously.

"Calm down. I don't need to get in trouble," Cassandra whispered into his ear, though he could barely make it out through the helmet.

"Can I see your ids please?" The soldier said, pulling an ink pen from his pocket.

"Yeah, fine," Isaac sighed. He pulled out his wallet and flipped through a few ids and then handed the selected one to the soldier.

"Yours too," he said, gesturing to Cassandra with his pen. He glanced at Isaac's id and then started writing on his clipboard. He quickly glanced back at the id and then at Isaac.

Isaac gave a superior smile. "That's it. Just forget you saw us, Soldier."

The soldier stepped back and started to raise his hand in a salute.

Isaac deftly grabbed the soldier's wrist. "Don't salute. Just go back over there to your little toll booth." He grabbed his id off the clipboard.

"Yes, Sir," the soldier said humbly and walked away.

"My hero," she teased and squeezed him tighter, eliciting a low moan from him.

He tried to move a little farther forward on the seat, to create some distance of at least a couple inches between them, but it didn't really work.

She asked as he began to drive away from the checkpoint. "What'd you show him?"

"Just my id," he replied.

"Well, not your cadet id. Since you apparently aren't a cadet. He seemed scared of you," she said uncertainly.

Isaac chuckled. "Yeah, sure, you bet… I, uh, mean, yes, it did appear that way."

"Well, as long as it makes sense to one of us," she muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It took almost half an hour to reach Isaac's house, and he found it to be a long and uncomfortable half hour. He tried to focus on the road and ignore the slender arms wrapped snuggly around his waist. Under other circumstances he probably would've taken the long route home. He parked the bike outside the garage and quickly jumped off. Cassandra pulled off her helmet and seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the ride, as she had a broad grin on her face.

"Well, that was fun," she said and climbed off the bike. "I haven't ridden a bike in a while. It's refreshing." She walked out into the small, green front yard and leaned her back against one of the large oaks to get a better view of the house.

The red brick house sat down a nice and quiet street and though it was small it was new with two large bay windows on the front looking onto the well-maintained yard and its two tall oak trees that cast some cool shade over the house.

She looked over the house and the other nice homes nearby. "This is nice. Yours?"

Isaac was speechless for a moment, watching her stand there, her hands resting lightly on her hips, biting the tip of her tongue as she studied her surroundings. Snap out of it! It's Cassandra. "Just renting," he replied faintly and headed for the front door. He pulled a small circular controller from his pocket and punched the three buttons on it in the proper order to deactivate the alarm.

Cassandra followed him to the door. He opened the door and stood aside for her to enter. She walked in, and he came in behind her. The living room was large, with a small kitchen off to the left separated from the living room by a waist-high bar. The rooms had polished wood floors and vaulted ceilings. The living room was mostly void of furniture except for a large entertainment center and a long black leather couch in the center of the room with a glass coffee table in front of it. Seated on the couch was a black and grey Siberian Husky intently watching a basketball game on the big screen television.

Isaac whistled and the dog perked up and glanced at him and then Cassandra.

Cassandra gave Isaac an amused glance. "You left the television on for your dog?"

Isaac relaxed a little and smiled. "We like basketball. He's a Bulls fan. I'm Lakers myself." He locked eyes with the attentive dog and laid a hand on Cassandra's shoulder, the fabric of her blouse soft and warm against his fingers. "Friend, Thor."

The dog hopped off the couch and ran over and rolled onto his back at Cassandra's feet. She laughed.

"If you don't rub his belly he'll think you're a bad friend," Isaac said, removing his hand from her shoulder.

She knelt down and rubbed the dog's stomach affectionately. "Thor?"

Isaac smiled to himself. "Yeah, he's my buddy." Thor was in fact the closest thing he had to a best friend.

"You're such a sweetie, Thor," Cassandra cooed as the dog stared at her contentedly. She glanced around the room again as she made friends with Thor. The walls were covered with posters of the solar system, a large number of posters of Saturn, then several posters of Saturn's moons. "You like astronomy? You're just like Jack."

"No, I'm not," he replied coldly as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh ok," she said quietly. "So what are you exactly? Nephew? Cousin? Jack's never mentioned you to me. Though I've overheard him mention your name."

That made him stop for a moment and glance back at her. What exactly had she heard Jack say about him? He grabbed a bottle of water and leaned against the bar, watching her with Thor. It was nice to have a visitor, even an awkward one. He sighed, well this was it. "Jack and I don't keep in touch."

Cassandra stood up and turned to him. She frowned. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

He reached a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck as he considered her question, and what to tell her. This wasn't as easy as he thought. "I'm a clone, Cassandra. I'm a damn copy."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! Very helpful! It seems a majority now are either in favor of (or if not in favor at least have no problem with) an Isaac/Cassie ship. I'm not saying it's going to end up that way, but if you are completely disgusted by the idea you might not want to continue, because it is a possibility. Isaac/Cassie doesn't bother me for reasons that will appear through the story. Please note that even if I ship them it won't be easy/painless... well I won't give it away, but just know I would neverjust lightly toss them into bed together.**

**Sorry for the short and infrequent updates. My computer is down and my focus has been (and still is) getting that fixed. Once its up and running the updates will be more frequent.**

**For those concerned about the shortness of the chapters... this is the longest chapter yet! I have also made the other chapters a bit longer, mostly 1 and 5 had a bit more added. Reread if you want but not really necessary. **

**It did make a couple changes...**

**Another hint to Isaac's upcoming assignment... a line in chapter 1 now mentions some frequent trips to Area-51.**

**Cassandra mentions that though Jack has never mentioned him to her, she has overheard Jack talking about Isaac, but she doesn't elaborate.**

**Cassandra and Jack have a chat about his bike and Sam is brought up in chapter 5, with a new reaction from Isaac.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!****

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**Chapter 7**

Cassandra stood up. Sensing that he had lost her attention for the moment, Thor returned to the couch and his basketball game. She walked over to the bar. Her face was a mask of confusion. "A clone?" She asked uncertainly.

Isaac nodded and licked his lips tentatively. "Of Jack. Five years ago the Asgard cloned your Jack O'Neill. Long story short they created a fifteen year old clone, and now here I am."

Her face fell, and she looked down at the floor. Isaac watched her closely. Her face was pale and her lower lip trembled. He realized she was attracted to him too. That was encouraging, disappointing, and terrifying all at once. Now, she was feeling what he felt when he realized who she was. It was his fault. He was putting her through this.

She looked back at him after a few moments of uneasy silence. She rested her hands on the bar and leaned over it, studying his face. "You do look kinda like Jack, but you're not Jack. Are you?"

Isaac shook his head emphatically. "No, I'm Isaac." He tapped his forehead. "But Jack's memories are all tucked away here."

She gave an uncertain smile. "Well, this is… uncomfortable. Not the explanation I was expecting."

He nodded and gave her an understanding smile. "Do you want me to take you back to the academy?"

She bit her bottom lip and turned away from him, leaning her back against the bar. She crossed her arms, staring at nothing, as she mulled this development over. "No, I'll stay for a while." She turned back to face him and reached across the bar to lay her hand over his, his hand jerked at the unexpected gesture, and she gave him a reassuring smile. "So far I haven't seen anything about you not to like. Even though you're not Jack, if you've picked up any of his good qualities, then you're definitely someone I'd like to have for a friend." She squeezed his hand. "So what do you think?"

Isaac relaxed a bit and smiled. "Friends?" He could certainly use one of those, a good one at any rate. Thor was a little short on the conversation side. "Sounds good. I'm starving. You?"

"Famished," she replied and clapped her hands together. "How about pizza? Pizza is great for uncomfortable situations."

Thirty minutes later they were seated on the couch sharing a pizza. Thor sat on the floor watching them, and appeared slightly annoyed. He was in fact supposed to be sitting next to Isaac.

"So," Cassandra began hesitantly, unsure how open he would be about this, "you remember everything?"

Isaac nodded as he took a bite of pizza and grimaced painfully as he burned the roof of his mouth. "Damn it," he snarled after he was able to get the pizza down.

Cassandra chuckled.

Isaac blew on his pizza to cool it off. "I at least remember everything up until the time I was cloned. After that… my memories are my own, and Jack's are Jack's. We're different people. At least that's how the therapist explained it, and I've grown rather fond of the idea. I don't want to be a clone. Just me."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at the therapist remark. "Therapist? I'm sure he thought you were insane."

Isaac smiled and ripped off some crust from his pizza. Thor perked his head up and licked his lips in anticipation. Isaac snorted and tossed the crust at Thor's feet, who quickly ate it up. "The Air Force made me go to a therapist for most of the time I was in high school. Once a week for three years. I'd just been cloned… or Jack had, whatever, and they sent me to have my head shrunk on top of it. As if I didn't have enough issues."

"Did it help?" Cassandra asked, tossing her left over crust to the ever-appreciative Thor.

Isaac sighed and looked at her, his face serious for a moment. "I guess it did, even if I don't like to admit it. I didn't really make many friends in high school, and the few I did have… what could I tell them? This guy though had top level clearance of course, so there was at least one person I could tell anything and he'd listen, and I didn't have a choice. The Air Force wouldn't allow me to retain my rank without knowing that I was stable and able to settle into a new identity. There couldn't be two Jack O'Neills running around."

"Still… do you ever look in the mirror and think that you're Jack?" She asked gently.

"Rarely actually, but it does happen. The memories are all very real, but the therapist brought up a point that I found helpful." Isaac stopped for a moment, wondering if he should talk about Sam. Cassie always could tell how much Sam and Jack cared for each other. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable but realized they were way past that.

She reached over and touched his arm and looked him in the eyes. "It's ok, Isaac. You know you can trust me."

He nodded and swallowed hard, tossing his half-eaten pizza back in the box. "The therapist explained it that I should consider it like a Tok'ra. God forbid, but still it wasn't a bad explanation. Sam kept lots of memories and feelings from her brief time with Jolinar. For a long time she had a hard time telling whether some things she knew or felt were her or remnants of Jolinar."

Cassandra smiled sadly, and Isaac knew she was remembering how hard she'd worked to cheer Sam up after Jolinar died. They'd all been so worried. "Yes, I remember," she whispered.

Isaac nodded and continued. This was getting easier for him. "He said I should look at it like that. It was like I'd had a symbiote. I had all these feelings and memories that weren't really mine, but Sam was Sam just with some of Jolinar tacked on. She could still be Sam. For me… it was like putting a symbiote in a newborn. I didn't have my own identity. All I had were the feelings and memories of this other person. I had to push those aside and find my way from scratch. Of course, it's impossible to ignore it completely, just as Sam is influenced by Jolinar so I'm influenced by Jack."

"Well, you are certainly different. There are similarities, like brothers. But you're right. Jack is a nearly sixty year old general who's been like a second father to me. He's married and happy and settled down. You, however, are young and from the looks of your apartmet, um, don't seem so settled."

Isaac frowned and glanced around the room. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her questioningly. What was wrong with his place? He thought he kept it relatively clean.

She gave him a big grin, in an attempt to placate his wounded pride. "You are most definitely not a general and certainly not a father figure. And I have to say Jack has not and, thankfully, will never look at me the way you did." She blushed.

Isaac's blush outdid hers and his mouth went immediately dry. "Yeah, well, sorry for that. I was ignorant at the time. Really quite stupid of me not to recognize you," he said apologetically.

"No worries," she replied. "I mean we'd never met before."

He stared at her curiously and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"So, you said you got to keep your rank or Jack's rather?"

Isaac nodded. "Yeah, that is one aspect of Jack's life I'm grateful to be able to hang on to. I've got a shot at becoming one of the youngest generals in history. Let Jack try and top that. And of course the nice pay and lack of debt allow me to live nicely and drive a kick ass bike."

She snickered and shook her head in amusement. She pushed some hair back from her face, a motion Isaac found utterly and frighteningly disarming. "Well, looks like you got it easy there, Colonel. So, what are you doing in class? Why aren't you off commanding an SG team?"

Isaac leaned back on the couch, took a prolonged drink from his Dr. Pepper, and smiled cryptically. "Classified."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 1 received a good sized new chunk. I added in Isaac's speech to the class. Check it out if you're bored and send me a pm with you think. Trying to fill out the chapters to make them healthier sizes like this one. Thanks for the great reviews!**

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Chapter 8

Isaac locked the door behind him and pulled out the small control pad to reactivate the alarm. It had cooled off and there was a nice breeze blowing. It had cooled off and there was a nice breeze blowing. Isaac inhaled the cool night air, stretched his arms, yawned, and then giving Cassandra a sleepy smile, finished inputting the alarm code.

"Afraid someone's going to steal your couch?" She asked with a soft laugh.

Isaac smiled and rubbed his face. "Actually Thor's the best security system I could have. He takes good care of all that important classified stuff." He gave her a mischievous smile. It was kind've fun teasing her with his mystery he had to admit. He pressed the buttons on the control pad. "But no need to make him do all the work."

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine you keep your secrets, and I'll keep mine." She turned and walked towards the bike.

He followed after her and came up behind her as she slid on the helmet. He resisted the urge to take her arm and help her onto the bike. "Like you said, we did just meet. Friendships, especially a unique such as ours, take time."

She nodded without looking at him. "Yeah, that's true. Ok, come on, it's late and I need to get back."

Isaac yawned again and stretched his arms high above his head, arching his back, a content look passing over his face as he tensed and relaxed the almost every muscle in his upper body. Damn, I'm getting tired. It was that ridiculous dream that had kept him up the night before and consequently made him late for class. Cassandra watched him with amusement.

"Are you sure you're ok to drive?" She asked gently.

Isaac grinned reassuringly. "The wind'll wake up. It's a nice cool breeze."

Isaac climbed onto the bike, and she took her space behind him. She wrapped her arms around him as he started up the bike. She suddenly pulled back from him. He glanced over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked curiously. "Don't trust my driving?"

She pulled off the helmet and tossed it in the grass. She gave a delightful smile. "Apparently I trust it a lot." She slid back into position against him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Let's go."

"Yes, Madam," he chuckled.

She patted him on the back. "It's nice out here. Take the long way, Colonel."

They had a pleasant and relaxing ride back, or as at least as relaxed as Isaac could get given the circumstances. The cool wind on his face had done well in keeping him awake, not to mention Cassandra's arms wrapped warmly around his midsection, her red curls at times tickling the back of his neck. He attempted to focus his thoughts on what had happened and how to handle this, but the closeness of her did not harmonize with logical thought. The sensation had lost some of its former awkwardness, only to awaken a different kind. Cassandra seemed content and at ease, her chin resting on his shoulder so she could feel the breeze herself. It took nearly an hour and was almost midnight by the time they made it back to the academy.

Isaac offered, rather anxiously, to walk her back to her room, and she acquiesced without much argument. He silently cursed himself for the offer, but nonetheless was glad she accepted. They walked mostly in silence, keeping a respectable distance between them. He couldn't believe he was acting like a teenage idiot. This is Cassandra! But you're not Jack. The argument played back and forth on his face and in his eyes as he glanced at her from time to time. She seemed oblivious, or was at least trying to spare him embarrassment by not drawing attention to it.

They both jumped when the quick and airy allegro of Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" began to emanate from the cell phone in Isaac's back pocket. They shared an amused glance, each taking comfort in the other's awkwardness

He held up one finger to Cassandra and silently mouthed "one minute" as he pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open, noticing that the caller id was unable to display the number. "O'Neill," he said and vaguely wondered who would be calling at this time of night, though he had a fairly good idea.

"Verfiy foxtrot, alpha, beta, charlie, foxtrot," the man on the other end said.

Isaac let out a loud groan and gave Cassandra an apologetic smile, indicating this would take longer than a minute. He walked over and leaned against a nearby lightpost. Cassandra took a seat on the grass by the sidewalk and pulled her knees up under her chin. She sat watching him intently, biting the tip of her tongue, as he was beginning to notice was her habit.

"Verify Colonel Isaac O'Neill, charlie, charlie, beta, sierra, alpha."

"Verified, one moment please, Colonel," the man said and then put him on hold.

Cassandra yawned and gave him a questioning smile.

"Damn red tape," he muttered with a shrug. "You can go on without me if you don't want to wait."

One corner of her mouth raised in a slight smirk, and she shook her head bemusedly.

"O'Neill?" Colonel Davis asked from the other end.

"Yeah, Davis, you have any idea what time it is? I was asleep, and you woke up my dog."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Cassandra whispered and wagged her finger at him.

Davis chuckled. "Yeah, Colonel, I bet you were asleep. I'm going to need you to head back down here first thing tomorrow."

Isaac grimaced and ran his fingers absentmindedly through his hair. "What for? You said I was clear for at least three weeks. You know I'm taking a class at USAFA right?"

"What are you thinking? You've got way too much to worry about."

Isaac snorted. "You know me, gotta stay busy."

"Well, in any case I think you'll find this more interesting than sitting in a classroom with cadets, O'Neill."

Isaac glanced at Cassandra and sighed uneasily. "Depends, Davis."

"Well, believe it or not, the project has been delivered ahead of schedule. We want to go ahead and get some final tests knocked out so that we can continue to stay ahead of schedule. That'll give us a little room to breathe in case any issues pop up. General Carter's given the go ahead for us to start tomorrow."

Isaac's face brightened, though he tried to ignore the mention of Carter, and he pumped his fist in the air, earning a raised eyebrow from Cassandra. "By final tests, I assume you mean…"

"Yes, Colonel," Davis cut him off, "we're going to need you to push it to its limits."

"Alright, I'll catch a flight in the morning," Isaac said.

"We've already got you a flight set up at Peterson leaving at 0900. See you tomorrow, Colonel."

"Got it," Isaac said and flipped the phone shut. He glanced at Cassandra, who still sat with arms wrapped around her knees, regarding him with increasing curiosity mingled with a slight bit of impatience that he was still keeping her in the dark.

"Going out of town?" She asked expectantly.

Isaac nodded. "Yeah. I'll probably be gone for a few days."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I see. Dr. Bower won't be happy if you miss class after what happened today. You'll get in trouble."

He smiled and lazily wandered over to stand in front of her. "He'll get over it," he said, offering her his hands.

"You've got a rather high opinion of yourself," she teased, as she grasped his hands.

He easily pulled her to her feet. He quickly released her hands motioned for her to continue. She started on down the sidewalk, and he fell into step beside her.

"But, if you don't mind, it would be helpful if you could help me get caught up when I get back," he said tentatively, trying to make it sound like a friend helping a friend and nothing more. He wasn't ready for more and realized he might not ever be.

She turned a devious smile on him. "Maybe if you tell me what you're up to… I'll think about it."

He gave a snort and shook his head. "You're too curious for your own good."

"That's one of my more charming qualities," she replied innocently.

They continued on till they reached her dorm. They stood there nervously, uncertain what to say to one another that would be a fitting end to this unusual day. Isaac rested his hands in his pockets, glancing indistinctly at the stars. Cassandra's hands were clasped firmly behind her back as she rocked slightly on her heels, clicking her tongue anxiously against the rough of her mouth.

"So," she said finally, dragging out the word and drawing his attention, "this was an unusual day… but fun. It was good to get away from here. Usually the only time I'm off base is to visit mom and dad or go killing time with my roommate. It was nice to just relax and talk, and," she gave an alluring grin, "I love your bike."

Isaac grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. His mind shouted at him to offer a vapid response at best. He'd enjoyed the evening too much he thought and didn't feel he should encourage a friendship. At least he tried to convince himself that he didn't feel he should do that. "It was a lot of fun… despite the flashes of discomfort."

She tilted her head slightly and studied his face. She gave a short disappointed sigh. "I know. We'll have to work on that." She reached over a laid her hand on his forearm, giving him a welcoming stare. "Isaac O'Neill has no reason to feel uncomfortable. You got me?"

He nodded. He wasn't sure he believed her, but he wanted to. "I better get going Cassandra. I've got an early flight."

"Ok," she replied. "Did you want my number?"

Isaac blushed.

Her own face flushed to match his, and she glanced away timidly. "You know, so you can call me when you get back… about catching up on the class."

"Oh, yeah, of course," he said and pulled out his phone. He entered the number as she told it to him.

"Goodnight, Isaac," she said and offered him her hand.

He clasped her hand, and they shared a friendly handshake. Isaac found himself both reluctant to and rushing to let go. "Nite, Cassandra."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, this chapter was going to be twice as long but I decided to split it up into two chunks since the second half isn't finished. That way I can get you up something today to read. ) The next chunk will be up tomorrow morning.**

**This chapter is different and breaks from the format of the story so far in that it's from Cassandra's perspective. I will be going back and adding in her perspective to the previous chapters to keep the story consistent. I needed to add her perspective in because there are certain stories I want to tell in here that wouldn't be possible without it. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

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**Chapter 9 **

Cassandra heard everyone talking and laughing on the back deck of her parent's house as she walked around the side. Her Mom had called her that morning telling her they were having a cookout that afternoon as the O'Neills were in town from Washington, so they were having a Saturday afternoon barbecue as they'd often had at Jack's.

"Hi, everyone," she said with a wave as she came into the backyard.

"Cassie!" Jack said with a broad grin and wiped his sweating forehead with the back of his wrist.

Cassandra felt a slight unease in her stomach. She'd seen a grin very much like that one just the night before, but it had come from a very different person, at least that's what she thought. Her mind was currently still deliberating on the issue, despite the things she'd said to reassure Isaac.

"Hi, Jack!" She said, trying to keep her voice steady. Why was she acting like this over Isaac? She had been attracted to him fine, but she'd been attracted to guys before. He's not just another guy now. He's someone who knows you in a way.

Jack and Daniel were standing by the grill, from which was wafting the nice scents of burning charcoal and steak. Janet was sitting on the deck steps holding a sleeping baby lovingly in her arms and watching three other kids playing on the swing set and trampoline set in the shade of the large trees that dotted the backyard. The protective Teal'c sat beneath one of the trees, near the children, and gave Cassandra a smile and nod when he saw her. Two of the kids, three year old twins, saw Cassandra and came running towards her at full speed, faces alight.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Janet said with a slight laugh as Cassandra swooped her little brother up in one arm and her sister in the other.

"Hi, Mom," she replied with a cheerful grin. She kissed each twin on the forehead. "Hi, Derek and Amelia."

"Hi, Cassie," the twins replied simultaneously, hugging her neck with their arms, which Cassandra quickly discovered were sticky with what appeared to be ice cream.

"You play with us?" Amelia asked expectantly.

Cassandra giggled and rubbed her nose against the little girl's nose. "Of course, Munchkin. In a minute." She lowered the two back to the ground and shooed them back to the swing set to rejoin their companion, Jack and Sam's two year old, Jacob.

Cassandra waved to her Dad.

"Glad you made it, Cassie," Daniel said. "That military school takes up too much of your time."

"No more time than you spend translating languages no one in the universe speaks anymore, Daniel," Jack replied as studied the grilling steaks intently.

Cassandra knelt down at the base of the steps, putting her eye-level with her mom. She planted a gentle kiss on the forehead of the sleeping baby girl, Madison. She then kissed her Mom and went to join Jack and Daniel at the grill. "She's getting big, Jack."

Jack glanced at Cassandra, his face beaming with pride. "She's a handful. I've had system lords who give me less trouble than her," he said with a chuckle. "Just like her mother."

Cassandra rolled her eyes and leaned against the railing. The breeze from the previous night was still holding over and it felt pretty good on the deck under the shade of trees, though the proximity to the open grill made it a bit warmer.

"I tried calling you in your room last night, Cassandra," Janet said, glancing up at Cassandra. "Your roommate didn't know where you'd run off to."

Cassandra swallowed hard and griped the railing. "Yeah, um, I went to Arnold Hall with some friends."

"Oh, your roommate thought you left there with someone," Janet replied indifferently, though Cassandra knew she was far from indifferent. Though she couldn't see her mom's face, she could tell she was smiling.

"Where's Sam?" Cassandra asked suddenly, thankful that the question had leapt to mind and would derail her mother for a moment.

Jack gave a roguish grin. "Well, she's off on official business. That's why me and the kids are here. Sam had some stuff to take care of in the area. So, instead of me staying in Washington trying to take care of the two midgets, we decided to come visit."

"That's too bad. I would've liked to seen her," Cassandra lamented.

"Hopefully you can when she gets back on Monday," Jack replied as he flipped one of the steaks.

"That needs to cook more," Daniel said, pointing to the steak Jack just flipped.

Jack glared at him. "Who's the expert griller here, Daniel?"

Daniel raised his hands defensively and backed away. "All yours, Jack."

Cassandra chuckled and shook her head. Some things never changed. She hoped she got to see Sam. It had been months since she'd seen her. They'd moved to Washington three years ago after the wedding and Jack's promotion, and she didn't see as much of them as she liked to. She was glad for the visit, even if it did take official business to drag them out there. Official business. She mused over that. Isaac had mentioned Sam in his phone call. So, she was at Area-51 overseeing these tests, whatever they were. Hopefully that wouldn't make Isaac uncomfortable. She hadn't given much thought to how Isaac dealt with that issue of Jack's life. She was tempted to ask Jack about the project, but they would raise questions as to how she knew anything about it in the first place.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry I haven't updated in several days, just needed a small writing break. Updates will be coming more frequently again. Previous chapters still being revised, will let you know when they're all done and posted.**

If you're also reading my other story "The New Ones", I haven't given up on it, a new chapter for it is coming soon!**

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**Chapter 10**

Isaac walked side by side with Colonel Davis into the main hangar of Area-51. Isaac had been making frequent trips here since his assignment to the project four months earlier. It had been awkward at first, especially around Davis, but his colleagues had slowly come to accept him as something other than 'the other Jack O'Neill.'

It was late in the afternoon on Saturday, and he was already in his flight suit and ready to go. He had done some test flights already, but this one was going to be special.

"I think you'll be very pleased with the result, Colonel," Davis said as they walked inside the hangar. "Though there is one issue to deal with," he amended under his breath.

Isaac caught the tone and gave Davis a bemused glance but his attention was quickly drawn away by the contents of the hangar. He gave a low whistle at the sleek black fighter that was undergoing intensive scrutiny by a dozen people checking its systems. The fighter, the F-400, was the fourth generation of Earth's counter to the Goa'Uld Death Gliders. It was more than just a counter, being superior to gliders thanks to some Asgard interference. True, it was not the first F-400 he'd seen, but this one was unique, the flagship of its squadron.

"She's a beauty, Davis," Isaac said admiringly, crossing his arms and standing back to run his eyes admiringly over the fighter.

Davis nodded. "Yeah, thought you'd like it. This ship is going to revolutionize our war against the Goa'Uld, and allow us to keep our end of the bargain with the Asgard."

"So, this one's really mine?"

"If nothing changes. She's the last one of the squadron, Colonel. It took a bit longer with her to accommodate for the extra missile rack on the belly, but all our preliminary tests show everything running as it should be."

Isaac rubbed his jaw and frowned. "If nothing changes? What might change, Davis?"

Davis shuffled his feet nervously and pointed to the woman approaching them.

"Carter! What brings you here?" Isaac called out before his brain could stop at him.

She didn't smile but walked steadily towards them with an armful of folders.

"She didn't know you were on the program till this morning," Davis whispered.

"Oh," Isaac said with a grim nod. He clapped his hands together and grinned confidently. He could handle Carter. "Well, let's get 'er in the air."

"Oh, there's still plenty of time for that..., Colonel O'Neill," she said, obviously uncertain how to address him, and her face showing her discomfort at the choice she'd made.

"Is there a problem, General… O'Neill?" He asked uncertainly.

"General Carter," she corrected with a smirk. "We decided two General O'Neills would be confusing. So, around here it's Carter. How'd you know about that?"

Isaac gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Small world, General."

She frowned and turned to Davis. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Colonel Davis? You can prep the F-400 for launch."

"Yes, General," Davis said with a salute and headed towards the craft.

After Davis was some distance off she turned back to Isaac and locked him with a hard, calculating stare. "How'd you get in this program, Colonel?"

Isaac wasn't sure if the truth or a lie was called for. He had assumed she knew how he got here. "Jack recommended me," he said flatly.

Shock quickly spread across Carter's face and then disbelief. "Jack?"

Isaac nodded. "Call and ask him if you want."

"He just up and recommended you?" She asked suspiciously.

Isaac grunted and shook his head. "Yeah, right . I had to fly to Washington and beg him for something useful to do. I think he felt sorry for me."

"I'm not sure you belong here, Colonel. You haven't earned the right to be here. You are not Jack O'Neill, and you need to stop acting like you are," she said, keeping her hard stare on him.

Isaac frowned and raised a questioning eyebrow. He hadn't expected her to be this difficult. "With all due respect, General Carter, you don't really know the slightest thing about me, and are really in no position to pass judgment on who I am. I'm Isaac O'Neill and make no pretense of being Jack."

"That's where you're wrong, Colonel. I'm in the exact position to pass judgment on you, but regardless of that. Your very presence here is pretense. If you weren't clinging to something of Jack's you'd be out there earning your rank like everyone else in this military."

Isaac wasn't about to back down. It had taken him quite a while to deal with his issues over Carter, and he wasn't going to let her win. "Quite right, General. I'm not Jack, but I've got all Jack's knowledge of fighting the Goa'Uld. That knowledge gives me the experience and skill for this assignment. You can't just ignore what I've got to offer. If we're going to win this war then we need to use every available asset. I didn't force the Air Force to keep me on as Colonel, rather they saw my inherent value." He wasn't going to admit to her that his knowledge of the Goa'Uld went far beyond what Jack new. Jack's memories weren't the only ones he'd inherited.

Sam sighed and shook her head. "Let's just get the test started, Colonel. We'll see how you handle the F-400, and then we'll discuss this further."

Isaac felt a pain forming in his temples. He ground his teeth together and tried to keep the sudden discomfort from showing up on his face. The headaches shouldn't be starting again so soon he thought. He tried to remember when he'd taken his last treatment, and then realized Carter was still watching him.

"You ready there, Colonel?"

Isaac nodded, sending a spike of pain between shooting from one temple to the other, and forced a smile. "Yes, General, I'm ready to go." He hoped the headache would stay bearable until he could get through the test. He inwardly cursed himself for having left the treatment in his locker, though he hadn't planned on needing it, even though his need for it had grown over the past couple of years.

Ten minutes later Isaac was strapped into the X-400 and taxiing out onto the runway.

"Remember, Colonel, for this test we just want to achieve a low orbit," Davis said through the headset.

"Roger that," Isaac replied. "Beginning takeoff."

He throttled the engine up and sent the ship speeding down the runway. The sound of engines screeched dreadfully in his ears, even the though the cockpit was nearly soundproof. He gritted his teeth as the ship lifted into the sky and sent him hurtling up toward the upper atmosphere. The ship passed through the thick grey clouds, and he broke through the cloud cover and sunlight struck the cockpit. Isaac was thankful for the visor over his eyes.

"We've placed three drones along your route," Davis said. "Engage with missiles."

Isaac glanced at his radar and saw the three drones. He used the touch screen near his left hand to select the port missile rack and the desired ordnance.

"These are test missiles right?" Isaac asked as he locked the targets. He didn't want to mistakenly fire off naquadah enhanced missiles over the continental United States.

"Affirmative, they have just enough explosives to take out the drones," Davis responded.

"Targets locked. Engaging," Isaac reported. He activated the attack sequence and three missiles were rapidly launched and veered off in three different directions.

Several seconds passed before the drones disappeared from radar and Davis confirmed, "Targets destroyed, Colonel. You're nearing the test's range limit. You need to shift into orbit."

Isaac frowned. The pain in his temples was intense. He desperately needed to land. "Request permission to delay the orbit portion of the test till tomorrow."

"For what reason?" Carter's suspicious voice came over the radio.

"I'm detecting a slight fluctuation in the engines," he lied.

"We're not seeing any problems on this end," Carter replied after a moment. "But if you're seeing something come on back, and we'll check into it."

"Affirmative. Returning to base," Isaac replied and sighed heavily.

An excruciating hour later Isaac finally made it back to the locker room. He immediately shut off the lights, easing the burning in his eyes. The pain in his head had extended into his arms, which felt like they were asleep and tingled at the slightest movement. He was glad the locker room was empty, as he sank to his knees. He couldn't let them see him like this. His face broke into a sweat as he crawled on hands and knees across the concrete floor to his locker. He swore to himself he was keeping the damn medicine with him from now on. The headaches, once predictable, were becoming too random for him to risk being caught without his one reprieve.

Isaac bit into his lip as he pulled himself up to open the locker. He quickly grabbed a small metal cylinder from the pocket of his jeans and pressed the end with several tiny holes in it to his wrist. He groaned as he felt a slight burning sensation in his wrist and sank back onto the floor, breathing heavily, his lower lip bleeding from having bit down to hard. The throbbing in his head slowly subsided, and he wiped the sweat from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"What a fine damn mess you've gotten yourself into, O'Neill," he muttered under his breath and closed his eyes, thankful for the darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**I will update this story as soon as possible. Sorry, I´ve had a lot going on.**

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**Chapter 11**

Cassie tried to conceal her laughter as she watched Jack try to cradle Madison in one arm and cut and eat his steak with the other. It was a precarious balancing act that forced Jack into taking nearly two minutes to cut and eat one bite of his steak, which Daniel continually looked at in disgust and commented that it was far too rare.

"This is all your mom's fault," Jack complained to the sleeping baby, as he attempted to maneuver the fork to his mouth without shaking her.

"Poor, Jack," Janet said with a smirk.

"Yeah, you know I actually thought retirement would mean more fishing," Jack chuckled and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"You want me to take her?" Cassandra offered, knowing his answer.

Jack shook his head and smiled. "Nah, I got it covered."

"Yeah, you'd be amazed how hard it is to translate when you've got twins screaming at the top of their lungs," Daniel said.

"That's what you get for bringing work home with you, Daniel," Janet said, giving him a loving pat on the back.

"Oh, and you're never guilty of that," Daniel said, leaning over to give her kiss on the cheek.

Jacob, seated between Jack and Daniel, was adeptly making a mess of ketchup and mustard on his plate and himself as Janet and Daniel marveled at the new stay-at-home Jack.

Cassandra sat silent, trying to steal glances at Jack without being caught, looking for subtle differences between him and Isaac as she kept an eye on the twins, one of each seated on each side of her.

The twins were only slightly less messy than Jacob, and Cassandra realized her preoccupation with Jack was putting her in danger as the twin's and their playful messiness began to encroach on her area of the table.

Jack muttered under his breath as his cell phone began to ring in his pocket. He dropped his fork on the plate as he fished for his phone.

"You will awaken Madison, O'Neill," Teal'c cautioned.

Jack sighed and nodded as he pulled his phone out. He flipped it open and Madison began to cry.

"I did warn you, O'Neill."

"O'Neill here," Jack said and began to gently rock Madison with his arm. "Oh, hi, Sam. I'm just having lunch with Teal'c and the Jackson clan. No, Maddie's ok. You just woke her up."

Janet quickly intervened and walked over to take the squalling baby from Jack. She quickly quieted down as Janet began to rock her and murmur in her ear.

"Yeah, she's fine now. Janet's a natural. All day I think she's been trying to show Daniel she wants a number three," Jack said with roguish grin towards Daniel, and bringing Janet to a deep red blush.

Cassandra shook her head in amusement and then saw Jack's face become suddenly very discomfited.

"Well, I don't recall exactly, Sam. Do you have any idea how many people I saw? It's hard to keep track of who I sent where," Jack said. "Ok, yeah, I might have recommended him. He's got the skill, and come on, Sam, you know I'd hate to be sitting around doing nothing. He made me feel guilty."

Cassandra could see Jack's discomfort was growing. Apparently Sam was none to happy with something, and Cassie was fairly certain she knew what. Well, at least she wasn't alone in her discomfort with this unexpected person showing up in her life.

"I think you're overreacting just a bit, Sam," Jack said with a groan. "It's just a few months and he'll be gone… to a galaxy far far away."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and gave a slight grin.

"You betcha. I've got the utmost confidence. Just relax, Sam. Ok, love you too." Jack shut the phone and groaned.

"Little trouble there, Jack?" Daniel asked and took a sip of his beer.

"Oh, just Sam having to deal with some idiot," Jack said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"A galaxy far far away huh?" Cassandra asked and took a sip of her drank, watching Jack with raised eyebrows.

"Well, not too far," Jack replied, and returned to his steak, which he was now free to enjoy with Madison content in Janet's arms.


End file.
